Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill is ready for his opportunity to lead the Buckeyes

“Mainly, I want to lead my team. I want to be the leader that leads their team to a Big Ten championship and also a national championship.”

Ohio State wide receiver K.J. Hill via Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch

After seeing seniors Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, and Johnnie Dixon lead Ohio State to a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl victory last season, wide receiver K.J. Hill is embracing his turn to be a leader for the Buckeyes. As a junior, Hill was a frequent target of quarterback Dwayne Haskins, hauling in 70 passes for 885 yards and six touchdowns.

Even though Hill knew he would be the leader of Ohio State’s receiving corps in 2019, there was a question on whether he would return to Columbus for his senior season. With Haskins capitalizing on his impressive 2018 campaign and declaring for the NFL Draft, Hill was concerned about who would be throwing him the football. That questions was quickly answered when new head coach Ryan Day brought in Georgia transfer quarterback Justin Fields.

While leading Ohio State to another Big Ten championship and national title are at the top of the list of goals for Hill heading into his senior season, there are some personal accomplishments he is setting his sights on. Hill has 144 career receptions at Ohio State, which puts him 47 catches shy of tying David Boston for most in Ohio State history. The Arkansas native is also 1,203 receiving yards shy of Michael Jenkins’ school record. Hill will need a monster season to reach that mark, as the most receiving yards he has posted during the time at Ohio State has been the 885 yards he went for last year.

No matter where Hill falls in Ohio State’s record books, he has be one of the most consistent receivers to don the scarlet and gray. Hill hauled in over 70 percent of his targets last year, and he’ll be targeted even more this season. His senior leadership will also serve as an example for some of the young, talented receivers that are currently on Ohio State’s roster.

“We’ve made it past this point a couple of years before. Every year we’ve played, we’ve gotten ahead of ourselves a little bit, so we just want to take it one game at a time. We know it’s going to be tough but just take it one game at a time.”

Carmen’s Crew guard William Buford via Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

For the third straight year, a group of former Ohio State Buckeyes have reached the quarterfinals of The Basketball Tournament. Under the name Scarlet and Gray, former Buckeyes Aaron Craft, David Lighty, Jon Diebler, and William Buford reached the semifinals in 2017 and quarterfinals in 2018.

Having changed their name to Carmen’s Crew, the former Buckeyes hope this year’s TBT shakes out a little different. To reach the semifinals, Carmen’s Crew will have to take down Eberlein Drive tonight, which is a team that has made it to the TBT finals. Eberlein Drive is powered by former Texas A&M guard Donald Sloan and former Bradley guard Jerome Randle.

Carmen’s Crew will get a boost tonight with the addition of former Illinois guard Demetri McCamey, who will fill a roster slot vacated by Deshaun Thomas, who got married last weekend. With McCamey in the mix, Carmen’s Crew has a collection of guards that will be hard for teams left in The Basketball Tournament to match.

If Carmen’s Crew can get by Eberlein Drive in tonight’s game that tips at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, they’ll face a tough matchup on Sunday afternoon with either four-time defending champions Overseas Elite or Loyalty is Love, who entered The Basketball Tournament as one of the other No. 1 seeds.

“To me, it’s just an honor. They ask me to do [more], so that’s what I’m going to do.”

Former Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker on increased responsibilities in the Miami Dolphins’ defense via Safid Deen, South Florida Sun Sentinel

After being drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, linebacker Jerome Baker put together a solid rookie campaign, recording 79 tackles, three sacks, and returning an interception for a touchdown. Even bigger things look to be in store for Baker in his second season, as he is being targeted as one of the best players on Miami’s defense by their new head coach.

Brian Flores spent the last three seasons as linebackers coach of the New England Patriots, and now the four-time Super Bowl champion is looking at Baker as the star linebacker of his defense. Baker has been the team’s best linebacker so far in training camp, as his size, speed, and strength are exactly what teams are looking for in today’s game when it comes to linebackers.

Even though the Dolphins also have former Ohio State linebacker Raekwon McMillan, Baker has garnered much of the attention from Flores so far during training camp because of Baker’s ability to defend in pass coverage. Since Flores took over as head coach in Miami, Baker has put in extensive work in learning the new defense during the offseason, and the dedication is showing early in Miami’s training camp. If the growth for Baker continues, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him looked at as one of the best linebackers in the AFC soon.

With the college football season kicking off towards the end of the month, the NCAA released a list of the top-16 schools in terms of combined football and basketball winning percentage. It is no surprise that Ohio State finds themselves at the top of the list, ranking sixth. Ohio State is the highest ranked Big Ten team on the list, with Michigan State being the only other team included in the top-16, with the Spartans ranking 14th all-time.

The Buckeyes are pushed into the top-10 on the strength of their football success, posting a 911-323-53 record over the years, which translates into a .727 winning percentage. Ohio State’s winning percentage on the football field ranks second all-time, and is the highest amongst football programs on this list.

Ohio State’s winning percentage on the hardwood is a little lower, but still very respectable. The Buckeyes have a 1670-1068 record all-time, which translates to a .610 winning percentage. Ohio State’s all-time basketball winning percentage ranks 40th in the NCAA Division I history.

The high ranking of the Buckeyes on the combined list shows just how well-rounded their athletic program is. Michigan holds the best all-time football winning percentage among FBS universities, but they couldn’t crack the list because they only had a .588 winning percentage on the basketball court.

There’s still time to sign up for SB Nation FanPulse Top 25 if you haven’t already.

STICK TO SPORTS

• The 32nd Annual Dublin Irish Festival is this weekend.
• Ahead of kids going back to school, Ohio’s Sales Tax Holiday begins at midnight and runs through Sunday night.
• The bar formerly known as Barrel on High rebranded and opened as Fours on High earlier today.
• Brewpub Wetstone Beer Co. and a coffee shop will be moving into the former Clintonville Outfitters building by the end of the year.
• The FTC warns that those who chose the cash option in the Equifax settlement won’t be getting the $125 they thought they would be.